Informational Meeting

MINUTES Informational Meeting Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at 4:00 PM Carnegie Town Hall, 235 West 10th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104 1. Call To Order Council Members Present: Curt Soehl, David Barranco, Sarah Cole, Alex Jensen, Rich Merkouris, Greg Neitzert, Marshall Selberg, Pat Starr Council Members Absent: None Council Chair Curt Soehl called the meeting to order at 4 p.m. 2. Committee/Commission Reports A. South Eastern Council of Governments (SECOG): Wednesday, September 14, 2022 (Council Members Soehl and Starr) Soehl said they approved the preliminary budget for the upcoming year. He said that there is a slight increase, due to construction costs. Overall everything is really good. He added that there are some new people and that has helped with their transition. B. Urbanized Development Commission (UDC): Thursday, September 15, 2022 (Council Members: Barranco, Merkouris, Neitzert, Starr) Councilor Greg Neitzert said that there were two items of note. The first was a review of the City of Sioux Falls Transit Development Plan, which will be coming before the Council soon. The second item was that they joined in a letter of support for a South Dakota DOT Opposition letter, which will be provided to the Federal government. This is in regards to greenhouse gas performance measures and emissions in each state. They are not opposed to wanting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Their issues are: the loss of local control and the establishment of a base line, set after COVID, which would be hard to sustain. 3. Councilor Remarks There were none. 4. Presentations A. Public Safety Update by Jon Thum, Police Chief Presentation: Approximately 15 minutes followed by discussion  Thum said this is their bi-annual crime statistics presentation. He began by speaking about the per capita (per 1,000 population) crime rates, in which they look for any spikes or deviations. Numbers for 2022 were not included. Thum anticipates 2022 numbers to be similar to 2020's. Property crime was at 37.15 in 2020 and 37.63 in 2021. Violent crime was 6.55 in 2020 and 5.91 in 2021. He spoke briefly about population growth; and it being bigger than forecasted last year. In regards to clearance rates, the Sioux Falls Police Department far exceeds the national average. From January to August, there have been 86,591 calls for service. Thum said calls for service is not growing with the population, but they are staying very busy. He spoke about online reports and would like to see people use this option more often. From January to August, there have been 2,908 online reports made. In comparison to January-August 2020, when there were 1,782 online reports. In 2020, there were eight homicides; in the same time period for 2022, there have been three. Thum pointed out that they will be adding two more for September. Assaults are trending higher in 2022. There have been 375 aggravated assaults and 313 domestic assaults in 2022, from January-August; 370 aggravated assaults and 319 domestic assaults in 2020; and 330 aggravated assaults and 272 domestic assaults in 2021, for the same time period. Rapes are down substantially from 86 in 2020, from January-August, to 58 in 2022. Robberies have gone up. Thum said they are looking for trends; and it appears to be more person-to-person robberies, with a use of force. So far this year there have been 115 robberies, compared to 76 in 2021, during the same time period. Burglaries are increasing and they are seeing a variety of call types. Thum said this issue will be studied. He said they receive reports daily on stolen vehicles, primarily due to keys being left in vehicles. A big problem continues to be people leaving guns in their vehicles, which are being stolen. There have been 963 stolen vehicles, from January-August 2022. Larceny cases are on the rise, primarily due to fraud and embezzlement, according to Thum. From January-August 2022, there have been 4,108 cases; compared to 3,456 in 2020, and 3,640 in 2021. Vandalisms are also up. So far there have been 1,404 this year, compared to 1,289 in 2020, and 1,238 in 2021. Thum said fentanyl seizures are prevalent in our community. In 2021, January-August, there were 1,730.09 grams seized compared to 812.01 grams in 2022. Meth seizures are down from 108.47 lbs. in 2021, from January-August, compared to 57.06 lbs. in 2022. Discussion followed regarding: what crimes are considered a larceny and a robbery; aggravated assaults; recommendations to deter crimes in neighborhoods; vandalism; guns and officer-involved shootings; ordinance changes or programs that the Council could support to help the Police Department; presumptive parole; firearm security and leaving weapons unsecured; the benefits of having outside cameras. . Downtown Parking Ramp Update by Erica Beck, Chief of Staff Presentation: Approximately 15 minutes followed by discussion Beck began by providing a brief report on what has occurred since July. She said this is their third time appearing at an Informational Meeting and they will return in October; discussions have been held with the Parking Board; there have been partner group meetings; informal discussions and tours with industry leaders; and the development and compilation of informational material. Beck said that they have been working hard to move forward with the project at this site. An overview was provided on what to expect from today's meeting; and items that they will need the  Council's opinions on. The Downtown Market Analysis Executive Summary was touched on. A map was shown, which displayed the location/extent of recent and ongoing development in the Downtown study area. Available and sold land parcels were featured. It was determined that there are fantastic growth opportunities. Among the list of places for opportunities to further explore is the Mall Avenue Parking Ramp. It was described in the summary as a 1.1-acre site with potential for multiple land use types”. The facility was built with structural capacity for multistory construction above, but there is a need to find the right user for redesign and completion. Beck said this was something that they already knew, but it was nice to hear it from someone else. She then reviewed some general market statements, which will be shared with the industry representatives they have been meeting with. An interactive discussion was held with the Council, regarding questions from industry leaders. They spoke about: if the project could be hindered by political discussions; will the Council consider proposals that include acquiring the ramp and site; available incentives; and would the City consider maintenance cost shares. Councilors also spoke about: the site being an opportunity zone; the need to be clear and upfront about deal breakers; site development expectations; having a developer that knows how to build up; to not deter any ideas; residential housing is a great priority; the project should be market-driven; verify financials; have confidence in the industry. Beck spoke about the next steps, which include: additional site and structure tours; returning for the October 11th Informational Meeting; and targeting early November for an announcement. 5. Public Comment Sierra Broussard spoke about needing cameras, better lighting and trimming of trees in neighborhoods, in regards to safety. She also spoke about current homicide investigations and presumptive probation. 6. Executive Session A. Consulting with legal counsel or reviewing communications from legal counsel about proposed or pending litigation or contractual matters pursuant to SDCL 1-25- 2(3) A motion was made by Council Member Jensen and seconded by Council Member Selberg to enter Executive Session at 5:05 a.m. Roll call vote to enter Executive Session. 8 Yes: Soehl, Barranco, Cole, Jensen, Merkouris, Neitzert, Selberg, Starr; 0 No: (None). Motion Passed. A motion was made by Council Member Jensen and seconded by Council Member Cole to exit Executive Session 5:35 p.m. Roll call vote to exit Executive Session. 8 Yes: Soehl, Barranco, Cole, Jensen, Merkouris, Neitzert, Selberg, Starr; 0 No: (None). Motion Passed. 7. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 5:35 p.m. Denise D. Tucker, MMC, Assistant City Clerk